Apparatus for producing elongated metal forms



- VEv J. w. LAUREN APPARATUS FOR PRODVUCING LONGATED METAL FORMS Y Filed July 15, 922

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lai-M5595k v .1. w. LAUREN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ELCNGATED METAL FORMS Filed July l5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l@` Vit- EUR Patented Dec. 29, i i925.

liiNiTEp STATES PATENT l o'FFicE.

` JOHN W. LAUREN,` 0F STERLING, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS :FOR PBODUGING iiLoNsArED METAL nomas.

Appi-icauoii nieu iuiy 15, '1922. serial Na. 575,268.V

To all whom t may'concewt: y

Be it known that I, JOHN WQLAUPEN, a citizen of the yRepublic yof Finland, and a resident of the city of Sterling, in the county of Whiteside and vState ofIllinois, have in- Y breaking'down rolls and then through the finishing rolls, This operation requires a large number of passes or rolls, sometimes' as'imany asf-twenty or more before the wire is completed. To'V reduce thegnumber of passes through which the billet and wirey mustpass in the interest of time and labor and the avoidance of the usual cobbles or waste caused by the breaking down rolls has been a problem in the art.

: hIt isan object'of thismvention to solve thisV problem byrolling the ybillets into cylindricall formr simultaneously piercing or aX- ially perforating" the same yandy-spirally cut-` ting the perforated' cylindricalPform and rolling the spirals into `the finished product. It is ayfurther 'object of this invention to provide apparatus andinachinery for acf complishing this purpose.

With these and other objects in view-which will become more apparent in the followingv ldescription and disclosure, this inventioninvolves the novel method and mechanism `hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out 4and described inthe appended claims.v

In theaccompanying drawings which ilflustrate a preferred embodiment of this `invention and in which 'similar referenceL numerals refer-to similar features in the different views: l Y

Figure 1 is a top'plan view of the apparatus or machineryused.

' Figure 2 is angelevational view thereof. Figure B is an elevational view Vof the putting mechanism ,in operation upon a tube.

Figure l is a top plan ,view of the cutting mechanism in operation. v

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the cutting mechanism.

.I n carrying out my` method, I first heat a billet to the proper'temperature, then simultaneously roll it into cylindrical form and pierce or axially perforate the same and cut the cylindrical perforated billet into a spiral and straighten and form the spiral into the desired shape and diameter. While 4the method and apparatus are illustrated in con nection with the manufacture of wire, the

method is susceptible of use in producing rods, bars or flats or heXagonals or other form. v

Inthe drawing, I have illustrated an apparatus for carrying out this method. In Figures l and 2, I have shown a piercing machine l having rolls 2between which the heated billets are successively passed and rolled for turning the same into cylindrical form. A perforating head 3 is supported in this machine and as a billet is rotatably forced through the machine, it will be forced ovei` this head, and become perforated in an axial direction. This piercing machine is well known in the art and lneeds no further description.

Cutting mechanism in the form of a pair, r

of cooperating rotary cutting elements or disks are supported upon the shafts 5 and 6 journalled in, a frame 7 -having a bifurcation k8 through which the rshafts 5 and 6 extend. A pair of intermeshing gears 9 are supported upon said shafts, one upon each shaft in said bifurcation for causing simultaneous rotation thereof. The frame 7 is provided with a second bifurcation wherebya spaced support 7"1L is formed upon which a motor l() may be mounted, the shaft ll ofwhich being clutched to the shaft 6. It will be apparent that operation of the motor l0 will simultaneously rotate the shaft-s 5 and 6 with the cutting elements thereon. The cutting disks l are oppositely bevelled and their axes are spaces apart a distance less than the diameter of the disks so that the cutting edges will slightly overlap as shown in .Figure' The cutting mechanism is obliquely supported with respectto the axis of the billet 12 passing through the piercing `machine l as shown in Figure l and is so positioned that the cutting elemerits will engage the inner and Outer ,sur-

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face of the wall of the perforated end ofter quality of inished product is obtained the billet for cutting the same as it is advanced through the piercing machine, and as the axis of the cutting mechanism is obliquely arranged or inclined with respect to the axis of the billet 12, the latter will be cut on a spiral line.

A plurality of spaced sets of rollers positioned with their passes in alinement at right angles to the axes of the cutting elements are adapted to engage the spiral strip 1221 as soon as it is cut from the hollow end of the billet 12 and form it into proper sized wire or rod or bar as the case may be. In the present instance,.each set of rollers comprises an upper roller 13 rotatably and adjustably supported in a frame 14 and a lower roll 15 rotatably supported in the frame 14. rIhe upper and lower rollers of each set have cooperating circumferential grooves, preferably arranged in the transverse medial plane of the rollers for receiving and forming the strip 121. The cooperating grooves in the sets of rollers gradually decrease in size, the last set of rollers -having grooves for producing wire of the desired diameter. It will, of course, be understood that some of the rollers, especially the last set, may be replaced by others having different sized or shaped grooves for rolling wires, rods 0r bars of diilerent forms or diameters and the Obliquity of the cutting elements may be varied to cut different sized strips from the tube 12. The grooves in the rollers are preferably in alinement with the cutting plane of the disks, and the lower rollers of the respective sets are intergeared through the instrumentality of intermediate gears to cause the same to rotate in the same direction which in the present instance will be a clockwise rotation. The shaft 1G of the first lower roll may be extended and connected to a source of power for operating the rolls.

It will be understood that different sized apertures may be pierced through the tube 12 to obtain different thicknesses of metal and by varying the inclination of the cutting elements, different widths of metal may be secured, so that the number of sets of linishing rolls 13-15 need not be very great to produce the desired form.

It will be appreciated that by piercing the billet and rolling it into cylindrical form and cutting the same into the desired sized strip, the breaking down rolls for the billets now commonly used are eliminated and the cobbles that usually occur therein are avoided and the number' of finishing rolls is greatly reduced. It is further manifest that the longitudinal slivers which usuallyl occur in rolled wire, bars or the like, will be practically eliminated since the hollow billet 12 is cui; transversely of the direction .that the slivers .usually extend so that a betaccording to this method.

In briefly summarizing the operation of the apparatus shown, it may be stated that the heated billets are successively passed through the piercing machine which rotates each billet between forming rolls and perforates it in an axial direction. As the billet is advanced through the piercing machine, it constantly rotates and when the lower end which is irst perforated engages the rotary cutting disks 4l operated by the motor 10, the process of cutting the tubular portion into a spiral strip begins. This spiral strip which is designated by 12a may be manually fed to the finishing rolls 13-15 when it of sullicient length to extend to said rolls. The action of the finishing rolls upon the strip 12a will aid in the rotation of the billet in the piercing machine as is obvious. As the billet 12 is fed further through the piercing machine, it is being further perforated and eut into a spiral strip and at the same time, the finishing rolls are rolling the spiral into final form.

It will accordingly be apparent that the described apparatus simultaneously forms a billet into tubular shape, and cuts the same into a spiral which is passed through the finishing'rolls as fast as it is cut.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent Agranted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as myinvention:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with mechanism for rolling and axially perforating a billet, of mechanism for spirally cutting the hollow billet, and finishing rolls for reducing and forming the spiral into the desired product.

2. The combination with mechanism for relling'and axially perforating a billet, of rotary cutting elements adapted for spirally cutting the billet as the salne is being perforated, and finishing rolls Vfor reducing and forming the spiral.

3. The combination with a piercing machine, of cutting mechanism adapted for spirally cutting a billet passed through the piercing machine, and mechanism for reducing and forming the spiral into the desired product.

1. The combination with mechanism for rolling and axially perforating a billet, of cooperating rotary cutting elements adapted for spirally cutting the billet as it is being perforated, and means for reducing and forming the spiral into the desired product.

The combination with a piercing machine, of rotary cutting elem-ents positioned at an inclined angle with respect to the axis of the piercing machine, and iinishing rolls arranged With their passes in alinement at right angles to the axis of the. cutting elements for the purpose described.

6. In a Wire making machine, mechanism for axially piercing a bil1et,'rotary cutters arranged obliquely to the axis of said mechanism for spirally cutting the billet and' mechanism for reducing and nishing the cut spirals. v. a

7. In a Wire making machine, mechanism for piercing a billet, cutters for spirally shearing the'hollowed billet as it is being pierced and vinishing rolls for rolling and reducing the spirals.

8. The method of making Wire Which consistsof simultaneously piercing a billet, cutting the pierced portion into spirals and reducing and nishing the spirals.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN W. LAUREN. 

